Move it,
Lose it
The amount of nutritional
information that bombards us
everyday is mind-boggling.
Super fat metabolisers, protein
only diets, food combining
regimes, juice fasts, fortified this and nutrient boosted that
- it is no wonder a great deal of people struggle with what
actually makes a healthy diet.
If you have tried to lose weight
a few times in the past,
you may have already realised that the lost weight loss of
fad diets is temporary, and that the rebound weight gain
can leave you heavier than you were before!
There is no easy answer, no
magic pill that can enable you
to maintain healthy body weight in the long term.
The reality is that losing
weight is a complete change in lifestyle
and bad habits.
As runners, there is a good
chance that you are not one of the
growing number of obese people in this country. But this doesn't
always mean that you're satisfied with your current weight, or
that you don't want to lose a few kilos in order to become healthier,
feel better and run stronger.
The theory behind actually
losing weight is quite simple.
We lose weight when our energy
intake (food) is less than our
energy expenditure (through activity and metabolism). However,
as simple as it might seem on paper, losing weight is a challenge
and does require a great deal of motivation and commitment to
the goal at hand.
Everyone is capable of doing it,
but the success stories choose to
do it for themselves.
Instead of listing foods to eat
and not to eat, along with tortuous
exercise regimes, I have put together a few helpful hints to kick-start
your program to a new healthier and happier you.
- Make small changes
regularly. Rather than trying to change
the way you eat all at once, try changing your habits over time.
Instead of having chips with your meal, have salad.
- Ask yourself if you are
really hungry before you eat. Have a
large glass of water and then reassess if you are really hungry
or are just eating for the sake of it.
- Don't diet! Fad diets
that have you radically changing your eating
habits usually don't work - at least in the long run.
Never underestimate the power of
healthy food and regular exercise.
- Remember that there are no
good or bad foods - only the amount
in which we eat them. Everything in moderation.
- Have breakfast.
Breakfast will not only give you more energy
throughout the day, meaning you will feel better, be more active
and burn off more energy, but it will also 'jump start' your metabolism.
- Eat 5-6 smaller meals
throughout the day. Regular smaller meals
will provide your body with continuos energy for performance and
will help to boost your metabolism.
- Be active all the time!
Walk up those stairs, groove to music while
you're doing your housework, or hit the dance floor instead of
standing at the bar.
Every extra bit of movement you
do will help to burn more energy!
